Supreme Court Milestone: First Hispanic Justice

After 19 years on the Supreme Court, Justice David Souter, appointed by President George H.W. Bush, retired at the end of the 2008–2009 court term. In May, President Barack Obama announced his nomination of Sonia Sotomayor. Though many Republicans objected to her nomination, she won Senate approval with a vote of 68 to 31. Sotomayor is the first Hispanic ever to serve as a Supreme Court justice.